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Yes, Joe Biden Was Falling Asleep at COP26 Opening Speech
Joe Biden is in Glasgow, Scotland this week to attend the COP26 climate summit with other world leaders, and it appears that the American president fell asleep during one of the speeches. Predictably, right-wing media has been attacking Biden over this, claiming he’s too old and not fit to serve in contrast to Trump, who was supposedly youthful and spry. Some on the left have fired back to defend the president and argue that he wasn’t actually sleeping. Looking at the video, it’s obvious Biden wasn’t simply resting his eyes, as not only were they shut, he appeared to be nodding back and forth. Within seconds, an aide came to Biden’s side, possibly with the expressed purpose of waking him up and offering him coffee. It’s totally understandable that Biden would be weary, as he had just traveled to western Europe which has a four hour time difference from Washington DC. Jet lag can take quite a few days to overcome, and clearly Biden hadn’t fully adjusted to the time in Scotland. But it’s ridiculous to hear folks on the right claim that because Biden was nodding off, that somehow means he’s less hard-working or a worse president than Donald Trump.
Joe Manchin Gives Kafkaesque Press Conference on Bill
Just as Democrats in Congress were closing in on a deal for a $1.75 trillion human infrastructure package, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has decided to blow up the negotiations and call for more time. Manchin held a press conference yesterday, wherein he expressed interest in withholding his support until there can be “greater clarity” on whether Congress can measure the “serious effects of inflation” that the bill could potentially have. The West Virginia senator said that he does still want to pass the $1 trillion physical infrastructure bill, which some progressives have been been stalling until a deal can be reached on the broader spending package. Manchin said, “for the sake of the country, I urge the House to vote and pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill." When Manchin wrapped up his speech, he said it was “time to pass the bill and quit playing games” before walking off without taking any questions from the press. This is the epitome of irony coming from a guy who is actually “playing games” by holding up the reconciliation bill. Time after time, Manchin insists that he’s not interested in having the spotlight on him and that he didn’t aspire to have all of the power he currently has. Seeing this Kafkaesque press conference unfold, it appears these sentiments from Manchin aren’t the slightest bit true.
From yesterday’s show:
Trump PANICS, Desperate to Keep Daily Schedule Secret
Donald Trump is panicking over the possibility that his whereabouts during January 6th could become public information. Last month, we learned that Trump’s legal team is doing its best to convince the Biden administration to shield Trump’s records under the banner of executive privilege and that Biden has expressed no interest in doing so. Thanks to CNN crime and justice reporter Katelyn Polantz, we’re now learning that the former president is desperately trying to hide his daily schedule of the days leading up to the Capitol riots. The motivation for this is that if records get exposed as to who Trump was meeting with in the days before January 6th, there would be a lot of overlap with the people ginning up the riots and promising blanket pardons for potential wrongdoing. According to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Trump is trying to hide more than 700 pages, including 30 pages of his daily schedule, from exchanging hands between the National Archives and the January 6th committee. Whether Trump will get away with shielding his records remains to be seen, but what’s obvious is that this is not the behavior of an innocent person and that Trump appears to have something to hide.
From yesterday’s show:
Jen Psaki Tests Positive for COVID, Saw Biden Outdoors + Mask
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced this week that she has tested positive for COVID-19. Psaki was supposed to be on Biden’s international trip, but canceled her plans upon finding out that members of her family had tested positive for the virus. Psaki is working remotely and has reported experiencing only mild symptoms, for which she credits being fully vaccinated. The press secretary said that she last saw President Biden a week ago and they were outside and masked. Biden has since tested negative and is likely to remain that way given all of the mitigation measures taken by the White House. Psaki put out a statement on her diagnosis, in part reading: “on Wednesday, in coordination with senior leadership at the White House and the medical team, I made the decision not to travel on the foreign trip with the President due to a family emergency, which was members of my household testing positive for COVID-19. Since then, I have quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. However, today, I tested positive for COVID. . . .” Psaki’s lack of symptoms and the fact it doesn’t seem to have spread to other White House personnel is a testament to the effectiveness of the vaccines and other mitigation measures, but sadly the fact that she got sick at all will be enough for anti-vaxxers and COVID deniers to argue that none of it worked.
More on the show:
--400 private jets descend on Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 climate change summit, and we discuss whether this is the "real issue"
--It is revealed that the FBI received stunningly specific tips in advance of the Trump riots of January 6, but declined to act
--Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told police to shoot rioters on January 6 during the Trump riots
--Despite threats that 10,000 NYPD officers would quit over the city's vaccine mandate, only 34 of the city's 36,000 officers have actually defied the mandate
--In a clip emblematic of the fabricated culture wars in the US today, a man interviewed by The Good Liars says that Critical Race Theory is the most important issue in the Virginia election, but has no idea what Critical Race Theory is
--Fox News' COVID guidelines for its annual meeting leak, and they are extremely strict, with proof of vaccination or negative tests required, as well as masks
--Voicemail caller reacts to David's recent jury duty story by confirming that "most Americans" are not competent enough to serve on juries
--On the Bonus Show: Producer Pat's road trip to Florida, John Deere doubles wage increases and boosts retirement benefits for striking workers, Pennsylvania Governor offering 5 days of paid leave for vaccinated employees, much more...
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